First posted 1/7/2018

I think I'm going to hold off on the allegorical/philosophical chats in the author's notes. Not because I don't want to share, but because I would rather save the explanations for the end. So, at the end of each arc I'll add notes on the inspirations, the meanings, and all that good stuff. There should be about five arcs total. This chapter is in between the first and second.

You can consider this filler, or setup for the dynamic between our leading ladies, or fan service. Most of this was done at work, or really late nights before a workday. I think it turned out okay-ish though.

On with the story!

It felt like morning had come, gone, and come again when Sunset awoke. Her body ached, bruises and sore muscles thrumming to life the second her eyes started to open. The jetlag was worse as her entire self had tried to adjust to an early night and a late morning, ending up somewhere in between.

But, it was all fine. She could convince herself that it was just another workout that had made her sore. She could convince herself that she had just slept in.

When she woke, her eyes had opened to the peaceful, sleeping face of Night. Night looked younger than normal, her normal makeup worn down to show dark rims around her eyes, and a softness to her face that was usually scowling. It was everything Sun would describe as beautiful, strong chin, rounded cheeks, button nose over pouty lips.

Sunset let herself lay there and look, eyes tracing the little features and imperfections she had never been close enough to notice, a scar here, a dimple there. As a hero, she had met the villain a hundred times. The face had burned into her memory, had haunted her at night, but never so vividly.

One day, this woman in front of her had redefined who Sun thought she was. When she was younger, Sun had a little flicker of attraction cross for the woman. Days went by trying to stamp it out, convince herself it was wrong. But, why? Was it wrong to like her because she was a woman? The hero would never admit to being that thoughtless. Because she was a hero? She was still a woman, one who had her good side hidden beneath the layers of witty retorts and failed evil.

Was it wrong to be attracted to her at all? At some point, Sunset told herself that it wasn't. She would like who she liked according to how attractive she found them, and who they were inside. And she wouldn't let anyone tell her that it was wrong. Sun was stubborn like that.

"Something on your mind, sunshine?" the question mumbled its way out of Night's mouth. Sun dragged her eyes up to see a pair of hazy, dark green eyes looking down at her.

"Just thinking…"

"Hmm," Night murmured. "About?"

"What are we?"

"Little too psychological-"

"Philosophical?"

"Like I was about to say, little to philo-psychological for this time of the morning. I can hardly think, and you think I can debate our nature?"

"For one thing," Sun said, pushing herself onto an elbow. The blanket shifted down as she leaned up, and Night was reminded that Sunset was not modestly dressed when she found herself eye-level with Sunset's chest. "It's six in the evening. For another, I was asking about our relationship, not our nature."

"Ah… our relationship…" Night stared up at the girl curiously. She could tell that Sun was aware of her nudity, her face had turned bright red, but she had yet to make an attempt to cover herself. "You've been through shit, and I don't want to push you away."

"That doesn't tell me alot."

Night sighed and scratched her head. "Want me to get real sappy on you, princess?"

"I would love that."

"Honest talk, I never figured just being around someone would feel so… special. I don't want to push you away by trying to set boundaries and expectations… I guess what I'm trying to say is, we are whatever you want us to be."

Sun listened, lips drawing into a small, tender smile. When Night finished speaking, the redhead leaned forward, head pressing into the crook of Night's neck, arms wrapped tightly around her.

"This is fine?" she mumbled into Night's neck.

Night could feel warm, wet breath on her skin, prickling up goosebumps. She could feel warmth and softness everywhere, only dampened slightly by bits of red hair that annoying tickled at her face.

"This is perfect," Night replied. "Now, I think that's enough pseudo-psycho-astrological talk for six in the morning. Go back to sleep."

"Sure, love…"

After what felt like too much time asleep and not nearly enough time asleep, Sun slowly woke to the feeling of something warm pressing against her forehead, and warm, gentle breath tickling across her face. The feeling was pleasant, yet irritatingly incessant.

"Pumpkin-" kiss, "- princess-" kiss.

"Grmph," Sunset grumbled.

"You've got to move, sunshine," Night replied, pressing another pleasantly tingly kiss to her forehead. "I need to piss, and I can't do that with you holding me."

"Hmph… foine…" she mumbled her reply, first into Midnight's chest, then rolled over to mumble it into her pillow.

Night leaned over and pressed a slow kiss to the exposed side of Sun's neck, earning a small giggle and giving a smile. "You have to get up too. Can't stay in bed forever."

"Can and will," came the confident reply of the ball of red hair on the pillow. Said ball of hair tried to do just that, too. After the comforting warmth left, she managed to bonelessly shift herself back until she was fully under the comforter, save a bit of her face. There she laid, unmoving, nice, warm, and comfortable.

The two things that woke her up were her own bladder and a pleasantly tasty smell in the air. Her nose poked out from the blanket first, tilting to the sky and sniffing. Minutes later the rest of her was following.

Night looked up, adopting a small smile as she watched the girl plod out from the darkened bedroom. Her hair was an absolute mess, somehow balling up over her head and gaining about an extra half of its mass. Her eyes were barely able to open, occasionally crinkling more as a large yawn spread across her face. Despite the faint bruises covering her body, she looked adorable.

"Morning, sunshine," Midnight called, eyes drifting over the teen as she gave a long stretch. Night gave a small grin and teasingly called out, "You seem to be getting awfully comfortable around me."

"Hmm?" The redhead stopped, thought, accepted a glass of water handed to her, looked down at herself, then blushed. "Oh…" Of course she had forgotten her current state of undress. She was wearing little more than the bright red blush on her face and a pair of panties, sleepy eyes trying to focus on anything but the woman in front of her. She did manage to mumble out, "It's fine if it's you."

"That so?" Night replied, smirk stretching further. "You give me too much credit. What if I was planning on ravaging you?"

Sun placed the glass on the bar. She caught Night's gaze and held it, her sleepy eyes focused just enough to show a seriousness. With her gaze captured, she repeated, "It's fine if it's you."

While the girl padded off towards the bathroom, all Night could do was stare. She felt the heat on her face, and her hand gripping the pan beneath her tighter in a white-knuckled grip. A few deep breaths did little to calm her, so she rubbed her palm roughly against her face to dispel the blush and tried to refocus on the food below her.

Midnight had never been one to blush. She could be enthralled with any number of shiny trinkets or fanciness, but no one had ever caught her eye enough to turn her into a blushing schoolgirl. And Sun was not about to start, Night was determined for that.

There was an attractiveness to the redhead, Night could admit that. She could admit a certain amount of respect and a certain caring between the two as well. Few times had their teasing ever gone combative, mostly it was work and games between them.

That was all, Night knew. All the teen was to her was a sister or a friend- a good friend, a best friend. She was the friend Midnight had lost once before, when her evil self had won over her good self and left her in the touch. While Night had to admit that she was behaving a bit too closely, with the cuddling and the forehead kisses, it was pent up affection for a woman who was now under her care. Like snuggling up to a puppy. That was her excuse, and her excuse for Sun was that all she was doing was trying to work her way under Night's skin, worm herself in there with the same teasing barbs that Midnight had employed on her.

That was all it was… so, why was her face so warm?

It was no question that Midnight wanted to consider. In fact, she forgot about it completely, so focused on tucking her emotions in a neat little box and throwing a blanket that simply read 'adorable puppy' overtop.

She had just finished, both controlling her inner self and making the food, when her new roommate returned. Sun stepped back in, wearing a fluffy robe around herself with a towel wrapped around her head.

"Your clothes are in the closet on your side of the bed," Night called, serving up the breakfast while Sun got dressed.

It was the first time she had openly wore stolen clothes, as far as Night knew. After days and days of picking out random items from Night's closet, Sun stepped in wearing a skinny pair of jean-shorts and a white t-shirt with a design in glitter on the front.

"So?" she asked.

"Hmm…" Night considered, motioning for her to twirl around twice. "Not bad. Maybe we'll get you out of that peppy highschool phase faster than I thought."

Sun snorted at the thought as if it were preposterous, but a light smile curving her lips led Night to believe she enjoyed the compliment. Or maybe she was appreciating the food.

"I think it's a little late for breakfast," Sun joked.

"It's morning somewhere."

They ate together. Night ate slowly, occasionally shifting uncomfortably as healing injuries were stretched by a no-longer empty stomach. Sun ate like she had never seen food before, chowing down her own portion and half of Midnight's.

After breakfast was a walk. It was nearing midnight. The lair was empty and quiet. Each hangar had only the dimmest lights on, so they appeared as huge caverns lit by single candles in the distance. Drakken was sleeping on the couch in the common area, his snores the only noise to what was otherwise a void.

The air was cold, too. And it contained a smell that Sun was just beginning to attribute with home- cement from the floors, grease from the various machines, the ever-present lingering smell of vanilla and mint that she realized came from her own clothes as much as Midnight's now. That smell was what kept the aura of darkness from overpowering her thoughts. Over the last few days, darker thoughts had been shooed away with constant noise and action, but now they were walking through a place with the pall of silence like a graveyard. It seemed all-encompassing, until Night lightly took Sun's elbow and began to lead her.

Sunset hardly noticed the change, but was happy when she was led out of the hangars and back into the tighter corridors near the entrance. It wasn't important to ask where she was going, she didn't question where as long as they weren't walking through the vast and empty silence.

The door at the end of the hallway, past their room, opened up into a lit half-hangar. It was a long room, full of barriers and obstacles that had once formed an indoor training facility. Now, real turf was spread over the closest portion, and the first barrier, just high enough to easily climb over, had been made into one section of a wall.

Lights had flickered on when they entered, stirring the occupants. All of them rose to their feet, tails wagging happily, four dobermans and a languid mastiff. Each one was still a puppy, far from graduating to dog.

"Puppies!" the teen squealed. Every negative thought could be seen fleeing her body, making way for the happiest face Night had seen in weeks. "I can't believe we haven't visited them more."

"They're supposed to be on a training schedule… technically we aren't even supposed to be here."

"You, breaking the rules? Do I even know you?"

"I know… all this time I had you convinced I'm a good girl. Now you get to see just how bad I am."

They were both grinning, words light and teasing while Sunset kneeled down and let the puppies climb over her. Sun continued to grin, replying with a low, "I wouldn't mind seeing more of that…"

"Hmm?" Night asked.

"Nothing! Tell me about the puppies!"

Night dropped down next to her on the grass, crossing her legs. The puppies were swarming Sun far more than they were interested in the grumpy green giant in their midst. While they were occupied, she started to point them out individually.

She motioned to the smallest, "Oscar the runt," then to the three in unison beside her, "Sophie, Jack, Storm," then to the mastiff, "and Steve."

"Wow…" Sun muttered, turning her lips away from one of the vicious guard dogs' tongues. "Those are maybe the worst dog names I've ever heard. Except Storm."

"Hey… at least I wasn't involved in naming the boom-jet."

A moment after Night said that, Sun turned, eyes focused on her. She gave a squint. "No. That couldn't be true…"

"It is."

"Drakken named the boom-jet because it makes sonic booms?!"

"Seriously did. So, be happy you're not looking at yip, bark, and pee-noise."

Sun snorted out a laugh, holding up the tiny Oscar with both hands. Her smile stretched across to both sides of her face, dimples out and proud. "I guess Oscar's not that bad…"

Just regular affection for her apprentice, Night tried to tell herself, watching the girl's smile with a small smile of her own teasing to come out. She idly rubbed the mastiff's ears, noticing Sun's expression go from happy to serious in a lapse of silence.

"I'm going to tell Drakken about what happened…"

"You don't have to. I never told him about my past."

"I do… I've killed. And I'm a lot more dangerous than he thinks I am. If I don't tell him now, it'll just seem like I've lied to him later. Especially if I kill again..." Her words were barely a whisper, her face a smile as she stared down the puppy, making the pain come out bittersweet.

Night could only nod. The puppies continued to stare up at them, eyes wide, tails wagging.

"Will you be there for me?" Sun asked.

"For as long as it takes," Night agreed.

For as long as it takes, Sun repeated in her head. That implied an end, and right now an end to this time with her was scarier than continuing on. An end to Sunset and Midnight meant a return of the hero and villain they had been, a step backwards where everything was uncertain and filled with danger.

"You know…" Sun muttered, looking away almost bashfully. "Waking up next to you was one of the best things that's happened to me. I would hate to end that."

Her reply was a snort. "Now, now, sunshine. One of us is going back to sleeping on the couch. That was strictly a I'm-too-tired-to-exist deal."

"For as long as it takes…" Sun repeated, words trailing off into a distant look at Oscar's excited face.

"Yeah," she agreed. "We'll take care of those traitors, figure out a way to get the blame off of you. You get to go back to your loving family, I get my reputation back."

The puppies were all awake now, clomping around and barking. They had no concept of night time, just play time. Each one jockeyed for a least a few minutes getting their ears scratched by the teen, or getting an idle scratching from Night.

But Sun wasn't replying. She was so focused on some distant thought, it was surprising when she managed a nod.

Sun wouldn't correct Night. She wouldn't say that her suggestion had been a long-term one. Sleeping and waking next to her ex-rival was magical, a curative warmth for a heart that had been hurt one too many times in the past. She was so close to asking for a lifetime of that comfort...

If only it were that simple. Night had made no impression that, if things were to go back to normal, she would be allowed to stay. Did she even want to? Returning home was a scary concept, but was normality, family, and her friends worth risking her heart?

She didn't have answers to the question. She had a puppy in her hands, and they had the softest belly she had ever felt in her life. That was enough, for now.

In the early hours of the morning, there wasn't a lot to do for the recovering girls. They played with the puppies until the aches and pains of combat returned, retiring back to their room for pain medication and rest.

Rest turned into hours on the couch. At first, Night flipped through channels lazily, not bothering to watch what was on the screen. Then Sun joined her, wrapped in a blanket from the closet. Then Sun really joined her, scooting closer until her head was rested in the crook of Midnight's neck.

The silence between them was never as bad as the silence of the hangars, it wasn't bad at all. There were a hundred things that Sun could focus on, from the warmth she felt against her, to the smell, to the subtle sounds of breathing and the quirks she was beginning to add up into a more complete portrait of the woman she had known for years.

A lifetime of this closeness was looking pretty good to her. There was enough to experience and learn just looking at Night's hands. Dozens of faint, almost invisible scars marred the skin. Faint burns had etched over fingers and across her palms, while more recent marks covered her knuckles. Sun held her hand up, pressing a kiss to the marked knuckles before returning to watching a lovely documentary about sloths.

Drakken woke up in the early hours of the morning, groaning and slowly stretching an arm. Sounds of rattling echoed through the common area, confusing him for a moment before he remembered lying down for a quick nap on the couch. Judging from the temperature, that quick nap had likely been hours ago.

When he did manage to lift his head up, he spied the girls. They were both in the kitchen in the common area, rooting around for something and not being quiet about it.

"Some people do need their beauty sleep, you know," he commented coldly. The expression he wore was in no way a happy one. Annoyance at having been woken up was written on his face in narrowed eyes and an upturned lift.

"We've been awake six hours and you haven't moved," Night replied. "And, no offense, but the beauty sleep ain't helping."

"Bah, what do you know?" He disappeared back down on the couch, a flopping noise following as his entire body landed back in its sweet embrace.

"Babe's going to teach me how to make brownies," Sun explained when neither of them continued talking. "We just need to find a pan."

"Cardboard box on top of the fridge," Drakken mumbled through a pillow.

"Oh…" Sun paused. Sure enough, she could see tin peeking out from a cardboard box atop the fridge. "Sweet. You going to join us?"

"For a cooking class? I think not. I've got a satellite to modify."

"Got another thing you could do for me," Night added. "Need a power meter for a punching bag."

"Hmph… I don't see why I would spend my valuable time helping you two figure out who punches harder."

"It's not for that," Sun replied. "Actually, there's something I need to tell you."

"Yeah," Night continued. "We've got to talk. But- serious but here- you need to get your ass up and get some coffee in you. What comes next may shock you."

"Please, no clickbait," Drakken whined. "Fine… but I better not like this."

Both girls turned to look at each other, eyes narrowing in confusion. Sun was the first to speak. "You mean you better not dislike it?"

"Whatever! Just go away so I can wake up!"

They both moved to leave him to wake up on his own time, Night walking ahead with the baking pan. Before Sun left, she turned to face the couch in the darkened section of the common area. She couldn't see Drakken, couldn't hear him either, but doubted he had gone back to sleep yet.

"Hey, Doc?"

A few moments later, the couch replied with a muffled, "What?"

"I know we've never really been best friends, and I never gave you a reason to trust me… I just- I wanted to thank you for taking me in."

Drakken's head raised up, eyes narrowing on her once more. "Buttering me up isn't going to help. Get out of here, we'll talk over brownies later."

Sun smiled. "Sounds great.

Author's Note:

I think my favorite part of this chapter is that I manage to define who Sunset was before as far as this canon is concerned (the girl with unspoken attraction for her rival), but also lets her previous personality (bubbly teen good girl) and her new personality (broody teen bad girl) poke through as she tries to figure out where she stands. These dynamics make for much more complicated, rounded characters. Hopefully by the time I'm done Sunset will be someone who is both completely new, and instantly recognizable.

On a side note, every couple of years I read the Final Fantasy VIII fic Frozen for inspiration. Think I'll read it again soon. If any of you have ever played VIII, you should read it too. It's by Chendzee'a Li.

On a side-side note, I don't think I mentioned my big New Years accomplishment in the last chapter. 100% Skyrim achievements in 2017! Yay! Only took me 325 hours.